HOME | DD
Khyron2000 — SSC Leviathan - Remake
#cruise #cruiser #leviathan #missile #submarine #shipbucket #nordpakt
Published: 2017-12-31 10:10:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 13893; Favourites: 192; Downloads: 140
Redirect to original
Description
hmm...did not think that submarine cruisers were so popular. Well, since it seems to be, here is the Leviathan in a remade form to fit the remade Nordpakt's raider strategy. Three large submarines were built to travel long distances, surface near enemy installations like refineries, whaling fleets, offshore installations and so on. Equipped with a watertight hangar, the boats carried one float fighter for recon and light attack purposes, as well as an assault boat to land commando units ashore, enabling long range recon and infiltration. Also, both assets could be used to guide fire from the twin 203mm cannon mounted in the superstructure.Better defenses and detection equipment made these approaches unfeasible and one was bombed by a long-range patrol aircraft.
The others were converted into cruise missile carriers, removing hangar, dock and 203mm guns. More AAA were added to protect the boats during the long launch phases. While primitive, the missiles enabled the subs to stay out of range and attack from unexpected angles. While their damage potential was low, these attacks spread terror, binding defense forces that would be sorely needed elsewhere.
Related content
Comments: 5
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
Submarine cruisers were a novel experimentation but were never mass produced.
For one Cost. To build these gunned boats and make them watertight is expensive.
Second the return to investment is small and questionable..
A submarine is the equivalent of a Ninja Assassin.
You come in fast, deliver the fatal blow and disappear before the enemy can retaliate.
A cruiser submarine is the equivalent of a Ninja armed with an assault rifle, making him wear a reflective yellow jumpsuit and then ask him to do a frontal assault on enemy fortifications.
For a Cruiser Submarine to utilize its guns it needs to surface and stay on the surface which destroys its defining feature which is STEALTH.
Once on the surface it becomes a target and unlike a cruiser that packs armor and can take a few holes a submarine cannot afford to take damage from return fire
because a submarine with holes can't submerge and unlike a cruiser it can't reach 30 knots to escape when things get bad.
This very expensive weapon is only good to use on targets that can't fire back which makes investment in such an expensive vessel questionable due to its limited versatility.
You can hit the same target with a much cheaper monitor or gun boat.
That's why navies around the world were enthusiastic about the concept of a Submarine cruiser on paper but once built totally lost interest when they saw how impractical and unwieldy it is.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Everything you say is true and I know that.
Yet...virtually all major sea powers considered building such vessels, two (France and Japan) really did. All these planners and admirals were no fools, if many were somewhat deluded 
At a time, before the war, there was no such thing as complete sea control (proven time and again when German raiders operated in the Atlantic and Indian ocean). In such an environment, planners thought they could sneak long range cruisers undetected through enemy patrols, using subsurface travel where necessary to avoid being spotted. Radar was in its infancy and around-the-clock air cover not really considered.
Also, many offshore installations, colonial harbors and cities were virtually undefended, sporting old guns or patrol boats with virtually no night-vision or radar equipment.
I absolutely agree these vessels are too expensive on the long run, being able to just do raiding or disrupt trade.
I disagree that a monitor would be able to do this work. First, a monitor is short-ranged. While being able to withstand much more punishment, the monitor would be slow and much more easy to detect. It cannot dive and against a determined force it is not as able as a battleship. Also, most monitors are coastal vessels, being at a severe disadvantage on the open seas. Travel is not always possible near the coast (where it can be more easily spotted).
As you said, reality quickly catched up with these designers.
PS: Love your artwork.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0